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Witnessed
Iron Maiden, 2008-06-18
11/07/08 || Global Domination
This coverage was written by ex-staffer/cocksmoker Hanging Limbs.
Venue: Merriweather Post Pavillion
Where: Columbia, Maryland
When: June 18, 2008
Country: U.S.A
Going to an Iron Maiden concert is like going to a family reunion of metalheads. Each time you go, you see the same old faces, as well as new additions to the Maiden fold that almost seem out of place amongst the black shirts and long hair. As a band hitting a popularity peak almost 20 years after they started to fade away, Iron Maiden attracts all kinds of people to its shows: Old fans, young fans, metalheads, rock fans, bored wives/girlfriends, etc. It warms my heart to see a 40-year old with a Maiden shirt and jeans singing along with someone who you’d never in a million years think would like the band.
When I saw Iron Maiden for the first time in ’99, they played at a 2-3,000 seater in New York City. Theatrics and pyrotechnics were at a minimum and the band was still getting used to three guitarists. After seeing them perform to maybe 8,000 people in support of ‘06’s “A Matter of Life and Death”, you could tell the band was not some geriatric nostalgia trip. The stage setup was the most adventurous I had ever seen, complete with a giant tank and Eddie the tank commander. They even played their entire new album, which was a brave choice despite being a huge letdown. Even though the setlist sucked, the band was electric and I knew their next tour would be amazing.
And it fucking was.
But first, something has to be done about Iron Maiden’s openers. For every Motörhead, they get a Bullet For My Valentine, Clutch, or in this case, Lauren Harris to open for them. I get it, Steve loves his daughter and wants her to succeed…but opening for daddy’s band? Give me a break. While I wouldn’t mind upping her irons, listening to her perform is another story entirely. Her voice was terrible. Her stage presence sucked with her nausea-inducing, off-time overhead clapping that she did during EVERY song. The songs were akin to bad late 80’s hard rock. Seriously, she makes Patty Smyth and Avril Lavigne records sound epic. The only saving grace was the lead guitarist, who impressed me with his skills and showmanship – that and the fact that Lauren Harris wore tight black pants and is much easier on the eyes than Nicko McBrain.
Luckily, her set lasted maybe 6 songs or so and gave me a chance to empty out the 24-ounce Hoegaardens they had for sale and test my camera. After about 20 minutes of intermission, everyone stood up, as if they sensed the band was coming on. About two minutes passed until the sound of “Transylvania” hit the PA and tour-related videos hit the screens. New fans of Iron Maiden must have been shocked to see how popular they are around the world, playing to packed stadiums on almost every continent. They were probably confused when people started cheering to old World War II videos and a rousing Winston Churchill war speech. Of course, most people knew what was about to come.
BAM! The band came out at full-speed, ripping through “Aces High”. Three guitars do this song a world of justice. I was afraid to see how Bruce would handle this song, since his performance on the classic “Live After Death” is pretty bad. Well, he strained a decent amount, but nowhere near as oafish as he was in 1985. Everyone else tore through the song and the solos were played flawlessly. I felt like Iron Maiden was back, even though they had been for ten years.
For anyone who thinks having three guitarists is too much, they need to see these guys live. Not only has each guitarist contributed to some great songwriting, but they are a joy to see play together. Janick may not have Adrian’s chops or be the true core member that Dave Murray is, but he puts on a great show and can easily hold his own. It never seemed like the spotlight was being hogged or any of the guitarists weren’t getting their fair share of playing time.
In classic fashion, they followed the opener with “Two Minutes to Midnight”. I’m the type of concert-goer that air guitars and sings every lyric I know, which unfortunately attracted a very drunk, very short, very creepy individual to sing along with me from 10 feet away. He would periodically come over and fist bump me, which was most certainly not my intent. Luckily it was dark, so eye contact could be avoided.
As the band promised, most of the songs were from “The Number of the Beast” through “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son”. Seeing as how they included the songs “Iron Maiden” and “Fear of the Dark”, it would have been nice for them to do something from “Killers”, their only classic album not represented at all. It wasn’t too big a deal, however, since the setlist was easily their best since the “Ed Hunter” tour. As much as I love the newer stuff, let’s face it, everyone wants to hear the classics.
“Moonchild” was a nice rarity which featured Adrian playing the synth part on the guitar. “The Trooper” tore down the house, as it always does, and featured both Adrian and Janick playing the first solo in greater sync than on the last live disc. It was great seeing “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” back in the setlist, a track that is deceptively heavy. Other highlights of the night included the chant-along sections of “Heaven Can Wait” and “Fear of the Dark”. Those songs were built for the live setting. The calm blue lights and audience participation makes the start of “Fear of the Dark” one of the best songs you will ever hear live. The only song that failed to stir the crowd was “Can I Play With Madness?” Not only is it a subpar song, but the band didn’t seem to play it with any gusto whatsoever.
All in all, it was a fantastic evening. Iron Maiden is the very definition of metal and the night’s setlist and performance proved why people are still coming back to see and hear them almost 30 years later. Musicians, performers, showmen, legends. Those are what you get when you see Iron Maiden live.
No score needed/10.
Setlist with Eddie sightings:
Transylvania (Intro Video)
Churchill’s Speech
Aces High
2 Minutes To Minutes
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Number Of The Beast (Demon Eddie in corner of backdrop)
Can I Play With Madness
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Run To The Hills
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden (Mummy Eddie behind hanging sarcophagus headpiece)
Moonchild
The Clairvoyant (Giant “Somewhere in Time” Eddie walks out on stage)
Hallowed Be Thy Name
